| There is a battle raging on the Cape Hatteras National | | | | Hatteras Island. There has not been ORV access to |
| Seashore to save the Piping Plover. When the People | | | | Pea Island for over 30 years so one should expect to |
| of Hatteras Island had their land taken from them to | | | | see healthy colonies of birds utilizing this preserve. The |
| form the National Seashore they were promised that | | | | problem is there are none. No Piping Plover has ever |
| they would always have access to the beaches in the | | | | used Pea Island to nest. |
| same manner as they always have had access. Even | | | | If ORV use is the problem for piping plovers how |
| in the earliest days people drove to the beach, first | | | | come the birds have not taken advantage of the 30 |
| with pack animals and later with cars and trucks. | | | | miles of protected beachfront on Hatteras Island? The |
| Now, that promise is being ignored and access to | | | | reason is because the problems facing the Piping |
| those same beaches is slowly being taken away to | | | | Plovers are bigger than trucks on the beach. Their |
| save the Piping Plover. Those who are trying to take | | | | success at breeding is abysmal. There is something |
| access away try to diminish the impact by claiming it is | | | | else affecting the birds and it is either being ignored or |
| just 12% of the beaches being affected. 12% is not | | | | neglected. |
| much in the overall picture but this number is deceiving. | | | | The Piping Plovers could be falling victim to pollution or |
| There are around 80 miles of beach in the Cape | | | | any number of environmental concerns but we will |
| Hatteras National Seashore. If we lose access to 12% | | | | never know because all of the blame is being directed |
| of that amount it would be insignificant except for the | | | | at the trucks driving on the beach. Migrating birds of all |
| fact the access has been taken away from a large | | | | species stop off in the Delaware Bay in the spring of |
| part of it already. Of the 80 miles only 50 miles is open | | | | every year to fatten up before the breeding season. |
| to ORV access and this number does not take into | | | | They like the Delaware Bay because at the same |
| account all of the areas that are closed seasonally to | | | | time the birds stop off the Horse Shoe Crabs come |
| protect shore bird and turtle nests. Closing another 12% | | | | ashore and lay billions of eggs in the shallows. This |
| of the park would bring the total closed areas to more | | | | supply of food is diminishing as Horse Shoe crabs are |
| than 50% of the park and this is only counting the | | | | being over fished to use as bait to catch Whelks. |
| permanent closures. If there is any evidence of bird or | | | | Without this abundant food source there is nothing that |
| turtle nesting activity beaches are closed on a | | | | will save the birds. |
| moments notice. | | | | As long as everyone's attention is on ORV use the |
| 40% of Cape Hatteras National Seashore is already | | | | real culprit behind the decline of the Plovers will go |
| permanently closed to ORV use and what is the net | | | | unobserved and unattended. Where are the Piping |
| result? Let's look at nesting bird population on Pea | | | | Plovers? This is where the real research is needed. |
| Island National Wildlife refuge on the north end of | | | | |